Tool



1949- M. DE LA TORRE 2,480,451

TOOL

Filed May l8,- 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet l 1 v 21 39 H 2 20 1 I 4 M. DE LA TORRE 2,480,451

TOOL

Filed My 18, 1945 3 Sheets-Sneec 2 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Aug. 30, 1949 minie ide a' hrze hic l ssi mrfiOBPt:

' eeefie te yi m ent iz rt it a o imraj can gpa Thisinvention relates to improvements in electrical "rcitrccatrng'tcols Whichrhay'b'e 'usedjfor dental 'fihigfgifig "and fof"tampifig' plastic 'inasse's in"ge'nefa1," and 'ciitt'iiigifiaterials such as'metalf'wood', plastics, giassand the lili.

"Itis"the"objectfoi the invention to provide an improvedftooi-of the character mentioned whichmay bebperateii. irom"anycoiivementl electric oi'itl'et or other source otelectric energy;

Itis another olaject'oftthe? invention to provide animpfovmfint; in tools. of; the character mentionedwhichiacilitates their operation, Whether the operator is"anexpei"t. orfan inexperienced. person; and: whichrender's? their. operation more satisfactory.

A further object oftthe. invention, is to. provide. a tool. of;v the characterjmentioned in which the; working point or other, silrfaceremains in the;

inactive state. until it is messed.- a ainst; the

ject which is beingeworkedzuponi It is a further. objectot the inyentiqn. to provide' a tool. or. the. character. mentioned-wh ch. is. re r d perative by, pr sin i hewonk n m nt. or other. surface, against. theIQbJBCt, which is he in'g workediuppif.

othercbiects. and ad antages, wil become anpa nthsi the. followin dese ihti n'pr resses which'is "to be. taken in connect on, with. i facc panyinedrawines inwli sh Fi 1:- is a lim ltus inal e tiona view. o a i t ry. o in ae e cdan e. w tht he nvent ng,

a Side. vi w. taken" at. right angles to Fig".'1; s

Fig. 3.. is. a transverse. sectionalvi w. of a. portio of the tool, takena qn ne. 3."-"3.. Oil-fig." 1;

Fi s. 4, Band are langitudina sectional vi ws. of diifere'rit. modifications Q'fthe vibratory tool,

ottiie inventiom Fig. 6 is a transverse sectionalview taken along 1ine66.of.liig; B j'and Referring to Fig. 1, the structure consists of. a hollow tubhiaistern I 0 offnon-Inagnetic'material, siicli aslifa'sfsbr Copper Stein Iliiis open at both ends and'lia's anopehingl lfin itsside adjacent the' 'rearward end." Attached to thesurface of the steiiftfl by"welding;soldering or otherwise, is? a shell t2. containing an electromagnet con-- sistingofianE-sihaped ferromagnetic core 13 and a'w'meni u surrounding the fn'iddle leg of the core and insulated 'frorii the" core by the insulat ing material 151 Thelegs of the Eextend rearwardly and an armature I 6 extends across their.

also for engraving; embossing e anation May 1s 1945, Serial No. 594,557

rearward. ends. The side"o f ,she ll l2 ,ren ote from stem l 0,. extends rearwardly beyond the end. of the core li and is then tu nedinwardly to form theflange lfL'which engages therearward surface of the end, of;armature I5. and -hplds said end substantially againstjthe adjacentcore leg. The opposite 'end --off the, armature project through opening it into the hollowstein I, said opening" I l; providing suiii'cient clearance to p limit the "oscillatory motion or the end; oi the armature. A casing lg. offnon-cpnductive material, such as synthetic resin; encloses the" shell [2, and, the stemllljand the ends [9; of the coil l4. extendthroueh asin wa land re dept;- ed to'be'connectedto a source ofalternati rent energy. Casing 18 has openingsin the ends th reof. throu h, whi h h nd i tem, 1 are p s hefa ine S l t. a h we r F 2, and two' ha ve re held to eth r y. m tal rings 20. whichen ircle fla e 1 whi h nrqi ct u ward y at h ed es iih qpen nse h asin he Tow d en pq t qa i. the re. s m

" is nl r e ie h wn at '4 nd. ea w i v of. h rt on. 2 a d r s nt rn-a y cr threaded. n eceives a, threa ed bushin which m y. be m ed. endeare adva retracted pos tionwith. rest d t th tem .0-- The ush n am s he g smi whi h. is a ap ed, to. 9th 21; hing. 3. .1. nos ti n w t spect tq tem fldrive ro or. lunger 5; extend i x a y lidab e re a on. thrqu h he. bu in 23 d a ward nto t e. be low t m. 1!; A k 25 is. fixe to h i ltwa t t and. o he. d iv and a d q ec pmcat thebQ e o b ing 23 A tool '28, which is shown as being a blunt tamping tool, but which may he an engraving needle, a'knife, or other suitable tool, is inrted in ck. win is. c am n y the screw '29, The rearward end portion of bushing 23. has two diametrically opposite longitudinal slots (therein and. drive rod 25 has two thin flat lateralip foiections 3,1 which are adapted toreciprocate longitudinally in said slots. The slots 3}! and projections 3|; prevent the turning of the chuck 26 and the tool 18. while'the device is being operated.

Drive rod 25 ends atan intermediate portion of stem Ill and a second axially. Slidable rod 32 is l catedwith n th here Qt'th icn n b w e rod 25 and the armature [firliod 32 has lateral projections 33 disposed on opposite sides thereof and q era ine ith the wa l of he or of t m II! o ma a n th n 2. n. alienm n w th od 25. A sle e 3.4 s dispose slida y uh ro 25 rearwardly of the projections 3|, and a sleeve 35 is disposed upon rod 32 forwardly of projections 33. Disposed loosely about the adjacent ends of rods 25 and 32 and between sleeves 34 and 35 is a compression spring 36. Said compression spring, through the sleeves 34 and 35 and projections 3| and 33, urge rods 25 and 32 apart. The position of these parts in the base of stem i is adjustable by advancing and retracting bushing '23 in stem 10. The arrangement is preferably such that with projections 3| resting against the forward ends of slots 33 and armature i6 resting against the rearward surface of the core l3 and also substantially in abutting relationship with the rearward end of rod 32 and the adjacent ends of rods '25 and 32 spaced apart a substantial distance as shown in Fig. 1, there is substantially no compression on spring 35. The bushing 23 may be turned into the stem until the rod 32 pushes armature l6 away from coil l3 a slight distance but it should not be turned so far that, when the magnet is energized and attracts the armature, rod 32 strikes rod 25, and the armature is prevented from making contact with the magnet. Shoulder 3'! is provided upon bushing 23 to insure that such an adjustment will not be made.

The rearward end of'the bore of stem I0 is internally threaded and receives a threaded adjusting bolt 38. A spring 39 surrounds the shank of said bolt and extends between the bolt head and the end of stem' II! to assist'in maintaining the bolt in any adjusted position. The length of the str ke of armature I6 is regulated by adjusting the position of bolt 38.

In operation, the device is connected to a source of alternating current energy and the armature I6 is attracted by the electromagnet and urged forwardly into contact with the rearward surface of core l3 twice during each cycle of said energy source. When the armature is first drawn against the core, it remainsin such position until the tool 28 is pressed against the object to be worked upon. To bring the device into operation, the operator presses the end of the tool 28 against the work, for example, the fillingmaterial in the cavity of a tooth to be filled, whereupon the chuck 26 and rod 25 are urged rearwardly and spring 36 transmits such pressure through the rod 32 to'armature l6. As a result, the free end of the armature is moved rearwardly between impulsesand undergoes an oscillatory motion about the opposite end which is restrained by flange ll. Such oscillation is transmitted to rod 32 and results in contraction and expansion of spring 36. During this time the pressure exerted by tool 28 against the work is only slight, whereby the rod 25 moves rearwardly only a short distance, less than enough to bring it into the sphere of action of the rod 32. The operator increases the pressure of the tool against the work and the drive rod 25 is moved rearwardly farther until it comes into the sphere of action of rod 32, whereupon the end of rod 32 strikes the end of rod 25 a blow with each impulse of the armature It. This occurs when drive rod 25 has been moved rearwardly sufficiently that the length of rod 32 exceeds the distance between the rearward end of drive rod 25 and armature 26 when the latter is in position against core i3. Thereafter, as the pressure exerted by the tool 23 against the work'is increased, the energy of the impulses becomes greater'because the drive rod is moved a greater distance. Also, the armature 86 moves a greater distance rearwardly and as its travel increases its velocity and the strength of its blows become greater. To stop operation. it is only necessary to discontinue pressing tool 23 against the work.

Under normal conditions, therefore, that is, when the tool 23 is not pressed against the work, the drive rod 25 is not in positive motion transmitting relationship with the armature 26 and it is possible to rest the end of the tool 28 against the work while it is stationary and placement can be accurately controlled. This is an important advantage in many applications, such as the impacting of dental filling material, the tracing of designs in engraving, etc. Also, the device is motionless and quiet when it is not actually in operative position against the Work, which is an advantage. In addition, the strength of the impulses of the tool is readily regulated by controlling the pressure of the tool against the work. Very light impulses can be obtained by using a slight pressure, which is not sufiicient to bring the drive rod 25 into the sphere of action of the rod 32. Such light impulses are transmitted from rod 32 to rod 25 by spring 35 alone and make possible very delicate work. On the other hand, very strong impulses can be obtained by pressing the tool against the work with relatively heavy pressure, in which case strong sharp blows are delivered by rod 32 against drive rod 25. 7 Any desired strength of impulse can be obtained between the two extremes by properly regulating the pressure of the tool against the work. When the term normal or normally is used herein in the specification and claims it means the condition which exists when rearward pressure is not exerted against the drive rod or plunger, such as would be caused by pressing the tool against the work.

As explained heretofore, it is preferred that spring 36 exert substantially no pressure against rod 32 and armature i5 in the at rest position. However, bushing 23 may, if desired, be threaded farther into stem i0 so that sufficient pressure is normally exerted by said spring to move the armature away from the core l3 and the said armature will undergo a relatively short vibratory action. This will not affect drive rod 25 and tool 28, since projections 38 of drive rod 25 will slots 36 in bushing23, and pulsations will not be transmitted to the drive rod and tool until the tool is pressed against the work sufficiently to move the projections 3i rearwardly in slots 30.

The modification illustrated in Fig. 4 is similar to that shown in Fig. 1 except for the construction of the drive rod and the spring which is associated with it. With the exception of the drive rod and spring, the parts of this modification will be designated by the same numerals as the corresponding parts of the modification of Fig. l. The drive rod 45 extends all of the distance from the chuck 25 to a point adjacent to the forward surface of the armature H5. The drive rod 35 has lateral projections 46, which serve as a guide for the rearward end thereof, and projections 41 cooperating with slots 30 of bushing 23. A pin 48 extends through the drive rod at a point adja= cent to the rearward end and the compression spring 49 surrounds the rearward end of the drive rod 45 and extends between pin 48 and armature It. In this modification, the position of bushing 23 in stem ii) is preferably such that armature l6 normally rests against core I3, that is, with projections 41 of drive rod 45 resting against the forward ends of slots 3!), spring 49 exerts subbetween the outer legs of said core. A rod 89 is rigidly fixed in an opening in armature l9 and extends forwardly through openings in core 19 and shell 14 and into the bore of stem 15. A pin 9! extends through rod 80 at a point spaced from core 16 and a compression spring 82 surrounds the portion of rod 89 between pin Si and core 16. The forward end portion 83 of rod 80 is of reduced diameter forming a shoulder 84. At a point opposite an intermediate portion of the reduced portion 93 of the rod an opening 95 is provided in stem 15 and a lever 86 is mounted pivotally in said opening and has one end extending outwardly therefrom and the other end, which is bifurcated as shown in Fig. 8, extending inwardly and embracing the portion 89 of rod 89. The bore of stem 15 is reduced at a point slightly forwardly of lever 86 and a bushing 97 is arranged in said bore and resting against the shoulder formed by the said reduction. Lever 89 normally rests against the surface of bushing 9?. The end portion 83 of rod 89 extends through the bushing 81 and ends at a point slightly forwardly thereof. A compression spring 68 surrounds said rod portion 83 between lever 89 and shoulder 89.

A bushing 99 is threadedly received in the forward end of the bore of stem 75 and a drive rod 9| extends in axially slidable relationship through bushing 90 and into the hollow bore of stem '15 and abuts the end of rod 89. through drive rod 9| at a point adjacent its rearward end and compression spring 93 is arranged between pin 92 and the rearward end of bushing 90. A chuck 94 is fixed to the forward end of drive rod 9| and is adapted to receive the tool 95.

A sleeve-shaped handle member 99 of nonconductive material is arranged in slidable telescoping relationship over stem 15, with its rearward end normally resting against the forward surface of shell 14. Handle 96 has an opening I09 through which the projecting end of lever 89 extends. Handle 96 has its bore widened at a point adjacent the forward end thereof to form a shoulder against which a washer 91 rests. The portion of bushing 99 projecting forwardly from stem i is externally threaded and receives an adjusting nut 93 which is spaced forwardly from washer 97. A compression spring 99 is arranged between adjusting nut 93 and washer 91 and serves to urge handle 96 into abutting relationship with core 79.

In operating the device of Fig. 7, the springs 88 and 93 normally do not exert sufiicient rearward force upon rod 89 to move armature 19 out of contact with the middle leg of core 19. The device is first connected to a suitable source of energy, and the armature l9 and the tool 95 remain stationary in their normal positions. The tool is then pressed against the work. Such pressure causes drive rod 9| to move rearwardly until chuck 94 engages bushing 90, when the rearward motion of drive rod 9! stops. Rod 89 moves with drive rod 9| against the force of spring 82, and armature i9 is moved out of contact with the middle leg of core 16. At the same time, the said manual pressure moves handle 99 forwardly with respect to stem and causes lever 88 to turn upon its pivotal support and maintain spring 88 under compression. The armature is thereupon moved forwardly intermittently by the magnet, and the armature, rod 99 and drive rod 9i undergo a reciprocating motion. As the forward pressure exerted upon handle 96 is increased, the rearward pressure of spring 83 upon rod 80 increases and the travel of armature l9 and rod 80 becomes greater than the travel of A pin 92 passes series of blows, which become stronger as the pressure against the work is increased. Spring 92 acts as a cushioning and stop means for the rearward motion of the armature i9 and rod 39. Spring 82 also assists in moving the armature l9 and rod 86 forwardly, and its effect is to increase the force of the blows upon drive rod 9|. An opening 9| is provided in stem 75, which cooperates with a stop member I92 which projects inwardly from handle 96 to limit the forward motion of said handle. The pressure required to be exerted upon handle 96 to bring the device into operation may be regulated by advancing or retracting adjusting nut 98 upon bushing 99. This feature assists in providing a delicate adjustment of the force of the blow, which is desirable for dental impacting and also to adapt the device for diiferentuses.

While several embodiments of the invention are illustrated and described, the modifications which may be made are not limited thereto, but various further changes and alterations will occur to those skilled in the art within the spirit of the invention as the same is set forth in the appended claims. In the modifications which have two aligned rods, instead of considering only the forwardly located rod as the drive rod, the two rods may be considered as separate sections of the drive rod. While the tool has been described as being operable by alternating current energy, it is also adapted for operation by pulsating direct current.

What is claimed is:

1. A vibratory tool, comprising an SISC DZOIHSg net, an armature adapted to be intermittently urged forward upon energization of said magnet, a plunger adapted to reciprocate axially and to carry a tool at the forward end thereof, means for guiding said plunger durin axial motion thereof, means for limiting the forward motion of said plunger, resilient means for maintaining said plunger normally out of positive motion transmitting relationship with said armature, said. plunger being movable rearwardly into positive motion transmitting relationship with said armature.

2. A vibratory tool, comprising an electromagnet, an armature adapted to be intermittently urged forward upon energization of said magnet, a plunger adapted to reciprocate axially and to carry a tool at the forward end thereof, means for guiding said plunger during axial motion thereof, means for limiting the forward motion of said plunger, means for positively transmitting the forward mction of said armature to said plunger, means including a spring for normally maintaining said plunger out of positive motion transmitting relationship with said armature, said plunger being movable rearwardly against the influence of said spring into positive motion transmitting relationship with said armature.

3. A vibratory tool, comprising an electromagnet, an armature adapted to be intermittently urged forward upon energization of said magnet, a plunger adapted to reciprocate axially and to carry a tool at the forward end thereof, means for guiding said plunger during axial motion thereof, means for transmitting forward motion from said armature to said plunger, means for stopping the forward motion of said plunger, spring means normally maintaining said plunge-r against said stop means and out of positive motion transmitting relationship with said armature, said plunger being movable rearwardly into 9 positive motion transmitting relationship with said armature.

4. A vibratory tool, comprising an electromagnet, an armature adapted to be intermittently urged forward upon energization of said magnet, plunger means adapted to reciprocate axially and to carry a tool at the forward end thereof, means for guiding said plunger means during axial motion thereof, said plunger means comprising separate aligned forward and rearward sections, the rearward section of the plunger means abutting the forward surface of said armature, spring means under compression between said plunger sections and normally maintaining the adjacent ends of said sections in spaced apart relationship, separate means for stopping the forward motion of said armature and said forward plunger section, said plunger stop means being so arranged that normally said armature rests against said armature stop means.

5. A vibratory tool, comprising an electromagnet, an armature adapted to be intermittently urged forward upon energization of said magnet, plunger means adapted to reciprocate axially and to carry a tool at the forward end thereof, means for guiding said plunger means during axial motion thereof, said plunger means comprising separate aligned forward and rearward sections, the rearward section of said plunger means abutting the forward surface of said armature, spring means normally maintaining said plunger sections apart, separate means for stopping the forward motion of said armature and said forward plunger section, said plunger stop means being so arranged that normally said armature rests against said armature stop means.

6. A vibratory tool, comprising an electromagnet, an armature adapted to be intermittently urged forward upon energization of said magnet, plunger means adapted to reciprocate axially and to carry a tool at the forward end thereof, means for guiding said plunger means during axial motion thereof, said plunger means comprising separate forward and rearward sections, means for positively transmitting forward motion from said armature to said rearward plunger section, spring means normally maintaining said forward plunger section out of positive motion transmitting relationship with said rearward plunger section, and means for stopping the forward motion of said forward plunger section, said forward plunger section being movable rearwardly against the influence of said spring means into positive motion transmitting relationship with said rearward plunger section.

7. A vibratory tool, comprising an electromagnet, an armature adapted to be intermittently urged forward upon energization of said magnet, a plunger adapted to reciprocate axially and to 5 Number carry a tool at the forward end thereof, means for guiding said plunger during axial motion thereof, means for stopping the forward motion of said plunger, spring means normally urging said armature in a rearward direction, separate spring means normally maintaining said plunger out of positive motion transmitting relationship with said armature, said plunger being movable rearwardly against the force of said last mentioned spring means into positive motion transmitting relationship with said armature.

8. A vibratory tool, comprising an electromagnet, an armature adapted to be intermittently urged forward upon energization of said magnet, means for stopping the forward motion of said armature, a hollow stein extending forwardly from said magnet, a plunger in said stem and adapted to reciprocate axially and carry a tool at the forward end thereof, means for transmitting forward motion from said armature to said plunger, means for limiting the forward motion of said plunger, a handle member arranged in slidable telescoping relation over said stem, and means for resiliently urging said armature rearwardly from said armature stop means upon movement of said handle means forwardly with respect to said stem.

9. A vibratory tool, comprising an electromagnet, an armature adapted to be intermittently urged forward upon energization of said magnet, means for Stopping the forward motion of said armature, a plunger adapted to reciprocate axially and to carry a tool at the forward end thereof, means for guiding said plunger during axial motion thereof, means for stopping the forward motion of said plunger, resilient means for maintaining said plunger normally out of positive motion transmitting relationship with said armature, said plunger being movable at will rearwardly against the pressure of said resilient means into positive motion transmitting relationship with said armature, the arrangement being such that when said armature and plunger rest against their respective stop means said resilient means are under substantially no compression.

MIGUEL or: LA TORRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Helmer Aug. 30, 1887 Carpenter Aug. 27, 1895 Polideri et a1. Dec. 2, 1924 Berman Dec. 22, 1931 

